Doctor Who's many faces reflect the various incarnations of the British male,
from sensitive geek to the grumpy old man, writes Tom Fordy

Forget the fact he’s from the other side of the galaxy, The Doctor is about as British as they come. Over the past 50 years he’s been an integral part of the ever-changing (or should that be regenerating?) face of British men, mediating our style, attitude, and place in society.

To celebrate his return to television this Saturday, here’s a look back through each of his incarnations – and what each one has said about British men at the time.

The Grumpy Old Man Years: William Hartnell, 1963-66

Somewhat ironically, Hartnell's Doctor struggles to get with the times. After centuries of believing he’s better than everyone else, this symbol of early Sixties masculinity has become victim to his own superiority complex. Tends to treat the influence of alien cultures and the increasingly liberal youth with suspicion and hostility.

An amalgamation of opposing cultural personas – the Swinging Sixties put through the BBC’s middle-England filter. He looks and acts younger, yet he’s still in his late forties; he sports a Beatles-inspired hairdo, but his musical ability extends to a few notes on the recorder; and he wears slightly flashier trousers, though it’s hard to tell because everything’s still in black and white.

The Dapper Years: Jon Pertwee, 1970-74

The Doctor celebrates a new dawn for post-war Britain with glorious Technicolour and a new sense of style. He’s also a born-again patriot (impressive considering he’s the biggest immigrant going): a dandy English gent who spends most of his time defending the Home Counties from invasion and frequently sticks one on the nose of foreign menace.

The Man's Man Years: Tom Baker, 1974-81

The Seventies – when men where men, and that’s how they liked it. The Doctor’s no different. He’s a bigger, burlier bloke here than ever before or since, even with all the mad hair and dopey outfits.

The Old Romantic Years: Peter Davison, 1981-84

Like the missing link between culturally divided generations of men in the early Eighties: youthful and fresh-faced, with his own fashion quirks (a stick of celery pinned to his lapel – no worse than anything the New Romantics came up with), yet concerned with old-fashioned conservative values, like fair play at cricket, good manners, and tea on the lawn.

The A---hole Years: Colin Baker, 1984-86

Much like the yuppies of the time, The Doctor becomes the personification of self-aggrandising pomposity – typified not by a smugness about his material wealth and earnings, but constant boasting about how much cleverer he is than everyone else. A deeply obnoxious and unpopular period.

The Mid-Life Crisis Years: Sylvester McCoy, 1987-89

He’s in desperate need of a revolution, in both style and attitude. He’s trying his best to be exciting, but the Eighties haven’t been kind to him. Unfortunately, The Doctor is booted off television and misses “laddism” in the Nineties, which worked wonders for the rest of us.

The Gap Year: Paul McGann, 1996

The Doctor is resurrected for the US audience. Unsurprisingly, he’s recreated in the image of the hyper-masculine American hero. Don’t be fooled by the English accent – he’s strong-jawed, gets the girl, and is prone to motorcycle chases. Speaks volumes about what the Americans think of British men.

The Returning-Home Year: Christopher Eccleston, 2005

Times have changed. The Doctor’s been domesticated. He can’t go off adventuring carefree with a twentysomething blonde anymore, unless he wants an earful from her mother when he gets back to Earth. These days, he has to think about how his impulsive actions affect the family – not to mention the fabric of time and space.

The Modern Man Years: David Tennant, 2005-10

Another facelift befitting the times: he’s got style, sex appeal, and a sensitive side. He’s constantly asking himself who he is, where he’s going, and why he does what he does. It’s liberating at first, but soon gets tiring. Maybe he was better off back when he was mysterious and less self-aware.

The Pretty-Boy Years: Matt Smith, 2010-13

Despite his advancing years (all right, centuries), The Doctor’s getting younger and prettier – proof perhaps that we feel obliged to be youthful and attractive to stay popular? More existential soul searching tries to hide the fact he’s mostly interested in flirting with beautiful women.

The Back To Basics Years? Peter Capaldi, 2013-

So far he’s a closed book and it might be better that way. We’ve had enough of all the talking about feelings, perfect hair, and romancing ladies thousands of years younger than him. It’s time for a Doctor who we all know could tear apart a Dalek in a foul-mouthed tirade – time to man-up a bit.